Underrated Eagles Song Survivor

[Desperada]

My Man

[Jonny Come Lately]

If you'd told me when this game started that I'd vote for the same song five times in a row I'd have been rather surprised.

Nonetheless, once again I vote to eliminate Ol' 55. The weird thing is that in each round I've become more certain of my choice as other songs I love have fallen by the wayside. I'm particularly keen in this round to save the wonderful My Man, a song from the same album which I prefer, which seems to be in some danger in this round.

The mention of pedal steel - a sound I myself love, I should add, including on the song I've voted to eliminate - made me think about the remaining songs and interestingly quite a few of them seem to feature pedal steel - these being Ol' 55, My Man, Do Something and After The Thrill Is Gone (no credit for that one on the liner notes but I think it has pedal steel on it - doesn't it?). The only other pedal steel song included in the game was The Last Resort so this group has done well.

[BBKron]

Ahhh! I had to go away for a few days (on business), and now I come back to find that one of my very favorite Eagles song, the vastly underrated Bitter Creek has already been voted off in my absence. Now, although I knew that it was not going to make it to the end (because numerous people have said they just don't see it's appeal), I certainly thought it would go very far, because it is just so underrated. Anyway, I also know that I probably would not have been able to save it regardless, but at least I could have put in some good words and support for it, as to why it is awesome and highly underrated. And worse, nobody else stood up for it when it was being threatened.

OK, so I know it is too late to matter, but I feel compelled to say a few words about Bitter Creek anyway. Although it is difficult to try to summarize why I think this song is so great, and perhaps why it is so underrated, especially in just a few sentences, but I will try to make a few points. First, it is a great all-acoustic song, perhaps one of the all-time great acoustic guitar songs, with great guitar work throughout (really cool rhythms, phrasing, fills, and detail work, unique and fascinating chord changes, and phenomenal lead soloing during bridge and fade-out sections), which is really some of the best guitar playing in all the Eagles records. I guess it doesn't get noticed much because 1) it's acoustic guitar and not electric, and so not as flashy and up-front, and 2) unfortunately, a lot of the soloing is quietly buried in the mix, so it is more in the background (only starts to be more prominent as song fades out), but it is truly great stuff. Second, the song itself just has a really cool vibe, style, and feel to it (sultry?,spooky?,sinister?) that is unlike anything else they've ever done (starting with that very first guitar chord - it just sends shivers through you, and the clever use of harmonics in the third verse - electrifying). Third, the subject matter and tone, and crucial importance to the Desperado song cycle, are brilliant. Now, it is true that outside of the context of the Desperado 'story', the song may lose some of its lyrical meaning and power, but as a piece of the story of the rise and downfall of the Desperado protagonist, it is just brilliant. In this song, although inwardly he probably knows by now that his life as an outlaw hasn't worked out as planned, leading to frustration, anger, bitterness, and regret, he still stubbornly hangs on to his arrogance and bravado that he will win in the end with one last big score (But, of course we know that he won't). It is the perfect lead-in to the culmination that is the Doolin' Dalton/Desperado Reprise. In fact, I always listen to these songs together. You almost can't listen to Bitter Creek without following it up with DD/DR. They just flow together and complete the story so perfectly. Just as DD/DR is the glorious culmination of the whole Desperado album, it is the perfect continuation and culmination of Bitter Creek the song (as we find out the fate of that arrogant, misguided, but somewhat sympathetic desperado). Anyway, sorry to go on, but really, that's just scratching the surface of this amazing song. I know that everyone has their own tastes and styles, but I am just baffled when some say that the song does nothing for them. It is sensational from start to finish, and certainly, to me, the most underrated song.

I'll get back to the game in another post, but right now I have to listen to BC - DD/DR a few more times.

[Freypower]

I like the song until the repetitive 'doo doo doo' stuff at the end which to me takes all the momentum out of it. I feel there should not have been any vocals in that part of the song.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Actually, BBKron, while I wouldn't rate it as highly as you do, I do like Bitter Creek. There's a whole lot of others on this list that I would vote off before Bitter Creek, but alas, others don't seem to feel the same way.

[UndertheWire]

I vote for Long Road Out of Eden.

I hoped Bitter Creek would last longer.

[BBKron]

Originally Posted by Freypower

Originally Posted by Funk 50
Lying Eyes and Take It To The limit didn't make the set list for the tour promoting One Of These Nights!

I'm sorry, but I find that very difficult to believe. Can you please provide a source for this statement.

I think if songs were released as singles the band had a pretty good idea most of the time if they would be hits.

Just a few other comments regarding discussions while I was away: regarding the exchange between Funk50 and Freypower and the absence of LE and TITTL during the first part of the OOTN tour, Funk50 is right, as far as we know from the info available. Sadly, there are relatively few setlists that are positively known from the earlier Eagles years (through surviving recordings), but from what we do know, neither LE or TITTL were added to the setlist until 1976 (the one listing from july 1975 on setlist.fm is erroneous and inconsistent with known sources). The early (1975) OOTN shows generally only included OOTN and Journey of the Sorcerer from the album, and then Too Many Hands was added, and Journey later dropped. Actually, the early OOTN tour setlist was not mush different from the OTB tour setlist, with only those couple changes. LE and TITTL were only added in the 1976 leg of the tour, with Joe Walsh now a member, in which several other changes were made, in dropping Bernie's songs, and adding Joe's. But this was nothing new for the Eagles, as they often did not add their 'hits' to their shows until well after they became hits. It was the same for Best of My Love, and even for New Kid in Town and Life in the Fast Lane. The early Hotel California shows only included HC and Wasted Time from the album. It wasn't until much later that NKIT, LITFL and also VOL were added, after they had become hits receiving much radio airplay. This is verified by the available concert setlist data we have from surviving recordings.

[UK TimFan]

And worse, nobody else stood up for it when it was being threatened.

Bitter Creek is one of my two favourite Eagles songs, but I couldn't stand up for it
(a) because I can't express myself as eloquently as you and some of the other FMs and
(b)

because numerous people have said they just don't see it's appeal

so I knew that I'd be fighting a losing battle.

I have to say that I was surprised that it lasted as long as it did. I quite expected it to be voted off first or second.

(Though in spite of loving it so much, I do think that the doo-doo-doo at the end would be better by being about thirty seconds shorter. Or else the guitar/instrumental bit right at the end being slightly more prominent.)

[Glennsallnighter]

My Man again this round.

[BBKron]

I like the song until the repetitive 'doo doo doo' stuff at the end which to me takes all the momentum out of it. I feel there should not have been any vocals in that part of the song.

I have to say that I was surprised that it lasted as long as it did. I quite expected it to be voted off first or second.

(Though in spite of loving it so much, I do think that the doo-doo-doo at the end would be better by being about thirty seconds shorter. Or else the guitar/instrumental bit right at the end being slightly more prominent.)

Regarding the 'repetitive' last part of Bitter Creek, obviously I don't agree. I love the vocal 'oohs' and harmonies here, and to me it just sets the anticipation for the searing acoustic guitar solo the comes in at the end. And, to me, the song is the perfect length (actually the guitar solo at end is just too short, Bernie just seems to be getting going, when the song fades out). However, I do agree that the vocal part goes on too long before the guitar solo comes in (or at least until it can be heard, as it fades in gradually). The vocals go 3 full times through the refrain (about 54 sec.) before the guitar part can just be heard emerging, then the bristling guitar licks go for 2 more times through (4th & 5th X - giving guitar solo only about 36 sec.), as it slowly becomes louder, but doesn't become truly prominent until just before the fadeout. I think it would have been much more effective to have the scorching guitar solo come in full strength on the 3rd time through (or if wanted to use the slow build, then start on the 2nd time through). This would not only have given more time (and prominence) for the great guitar picking heard at the end, but would also have reduced the feeling of repetitiveness that many seem to have an issue with. But that is my only criticism of this stellar song (for me, I could listen to this vibe go on all day), more guitar virtuosity, less vocals at end.

As for this song not being expected to make it far in the competition, I thought that this was the one competition that it did have a chance of doing well at, that of being most underrated. Oh well, that's just the way it goes.